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A drug discovered more than 100 years ago may hold the key to combating autism symptoms, according to a study.
Researcher Dr Robert Naviaux of the San Diego School of Medicine gave suramin, a drug first developed in 1916, to 10 autistic boys between the ages of five and 14, and noted transformative results.
"After the single dose, it was almost like a roadblock had been released," he said. "If the future studies show that there's continued health benefits, this could be a game-changer for families with autism."
The study, which has been published in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, saw five of the participants receive suramin, while the remainder were given placebos. Included in the group were four non-verbal children – two six year olds and two 14 year olds.
"The six year old and the 14 year old who received suramin said the first sentences of their lives about one week after the single suramin infusion," Naviaux told the UC San Diego Health website. "This did not happen in any of the children given the placebo."
Source: https://www.rt.com/usa/390222-autism-research-suramin-symptoms/
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 31 2017, @07:42PM (1 child)
That's already a thing in the USA.
Specifically, in Alaska.
Since 1976.
It's called The Alaska Permanent Fund.
the rest of us pay you
That's not how they do it in Alaska.
The money comes from "the commonwealth".
Unlike other (clueless, corporate puppet) states who give away for free the privilege to do mineral extraction, Alaska charges corporations for that.
When ExxonMobil drills for oil in Alaska, the fund gets a cut and once a year that fund is disbursed equally among all the residents of Alaska.
As mentioned, it has worked just fine for decades.
...though a job that pays a living wage for every USAian would be even better.
...if only the people who "represent us" in DC would stop subsidizing the exporting of USAian jobs.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 01 2017, @01:00PM
This is not quite how it works. The Permanent Fund is controlled by the Alaskan Permanent Fund Corporation, which invests the fund in various bonds/stocks/etc. Every year, they payout a dividend to every eligible resident that applies for it (the Permanent Fund Dividend, know locally as the PFD). The payout is based on the earnings averaged over 5 years, and so varies from several hundred dollars to a few thousand. The actual fund itself is not split up, and I am unsure how much corporations actually pay into it anymore. I believe it was a one time levy that is now self sustaining.
Unsurprisingly, the state legislature is constantly trying to raid the fund to balance out some budget shortfall, usually with the promise of a final payout in the range of ten thousand dollars per resident. So far the residents have not fallen for it.